This is my weekly column where I suggest low-owned starting pitchers that have a matchup in their favor in the coming week to help your fantasy baseball team. Most of these hurlers are to be used and tossed back to the waiver wire. Some of them will graduate from the wire and find a permanent space on a roster, hopefully yours. This week we are looking at streaming starting pitchers week 8.

My process is to look at wOBA, ISO and K% to identify weak-hitting lineups. Conversely, for pitchers I look at wOBA, ISO against and their K%.

Ugh, Chacin did what he was supposed to do. Then Peralta came in and undid everything and made everything much, much worse. To add insult to injury, Woodruff’s start was bumped to Friday against the Mets, and per my rules I can’t count his good outing (1 earned run, 7 strikeouts in 5 innings). Going forward I’ll be looking at the possibility that the matchup I am recommending could change and definitively tell you whether to start them or not.

All statistics, ownership and projected starting dates are as of Thursday morning, May 9. Please bear in mind that things can change after this article is posted. Injuries, rain delays, managerial moves, etc. can happen.

Streaming Starting Pitchers Week 8

Although, my 2019 start has been mostly bad over good, I’m confident that we’ll right the ship. Here are your three starters to stream next week.

This is more about the Pirates struggles facing southpaws on the road than it is about Lauer. Through 7 starts he has a 4.30 ERA, 4.51 xFIP, 1.30 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 37.2 innings (21.5 K%). Nothing exciting, really. Although his 3.42 ERA in 4 home starts is better, his 16.7 K% is worse.

The Pirates should help him out when they come into San Diego sporting a 0.254 wOBA (28th), 0.097 ISO (worst in mlb) and striking out 30.8% of the time (29th) versus LHP on the road. This is a good matchup for the lightly owned Lauer. Stream him confidently.

If Lauer’s start gets moved up in the week he will be facing the Dodgers in LA. Steer very clear of that matchup.

The Indians are in a deep funk at the moment and the time is now to take advantage. They are currently putting up a 0.257 wOBA (27th), 0.077 ISO (29th) and a 36.0 K% (29th) at home versus southpaws.

Means enters with a 2.48 ERA, 4.42 xFIP, 1.10 WHIP and only 29 strikeouts in 32.2 innings (21.6 K%). Although he’s been shaky on the road (4.50 ERA, 6.05 xFIP, 1.20 WHIP and a 11.4 K%), I’m liking the matchup with the Indians. Their situational suckiness should win out over Means’ road woes.

Giolito is having a nice little start to 2019. Through 6 starts he has a 4.06 ERA, 3.67 xFIP, 1.29 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 31 innings (29.2 K%). He seems to finally be putting it all together.

He should get it even more together when the free-swinging Blue Jays come into Chicago. The bluebirds on the road against RHP are near the bottom in all three metrics I look at: 0.284 wOBA (25th), 0.138 ISO (23rd) and 29.3 K% (29th). They pose a nice matchup for Giolito and we need to take advantage.

With his start being next Sunday and in Chicago there is a good chance weather could force his start to get bumped into the series in Houston. The Astros are a Top 10 team in all three metrics when facing RHP on the road. Even though Giolito is coming around to being serviceable, let’s skip his start in Houston if that happens.

Extra Cheese

Finally! The guy I tell you to stream for two starts actually gets two starts… and they were fabulous.

Name

Date

G

IP

ER

H

BB

K

DEC

ERA

WHIP

Mike Soroka, ATL

4/29 vs SDP

1

6.00

1

4

1

8

W

1.50

0.83

Mike Soroka, ATL

5/4 @ MIA

1

7.00

0

3

2

6

W

0.00

0.71

Total

2

13.00

1

7

3

14

2 – 0

0.69

0.77

Soroka came through aces for us last week. Speaking of aces, we might just have a new ace of the Phillies staff and you need to get on that.